Thousands camp in the Peruvian Andes to protect a lake from major gold mining project

Thousands of opponents of a 5 billion dollars gold project of Newmont Mining circled a lake high in the Andes, in Cajamarca province vowing to stop the company from eventually draining it to make way for Peru’s most expensive mine.

Lake Perol is one of several lakes that would eventually be displaced to mine ore from the Conga project. Water from the lakes would be transferred to four reservoirs that the US company and its Peruvian partner, Buenaventura, are building or planning to build.

The companies say the reservoirs would end seasonal shortages and guarantee year-round water supplies to towns and farmers in the area, but many residents fear they would lose control of the water or that the mine would cause pollution.

The 4,000 protesters arrived at Lake Perol on foot or on horseback, many wearing ponchos, as well as traditional broad-brimmed straw hats or baseball caps. Some carried blankets and bags of potatoes and rice, planning to camp out at the site for weeks to halt the project.

“Why would we want a reservoir controlled by the company when we already have lakes that naturally provide us water?” asked Angel Mendoza, a member of a peasant patrol group from the town of Pampa Verde.

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